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December 2012 Blog

Hi to all, with winter now well and truly upon us, the lakes have been frozen for the first time and the cold north wind makes for some very in hospitable days, it is not surprising that there have been few anglers on our banks and even fewer catch reports.

2012 has once again been a very successful year for Blackfords PAS. There was an increase this year to the number of tickets available and there has been increased interest from all around the region in our club. Membership continues to be high at time when many angling clubs are struggling. Continued investment in fish and maintenance on our waters makes us one of the premier fishing clubs/society in the midlands and south staffs area.

We have a very healthy match fishing section, which is both friendly and competitive, and whilst this year has proven a little frustrating for the match guys with Leacroft pool matches having to be cancelled due to parking issues, it has still been a successful year. I was looking through this years match results and could not go without mentioning a few standout performances.

Firstly, I have to mention the clubs chairman, John Burns who has had a great year on our newest lake Kingswood, with 5 wins and 2 seconds I can safely say he has definitely got the measure of the place. Well done John. I’d like to say you were lucky but that is some record!!

On Calf Heath there were 3 outstanding match weights in excess of 70lb. The first by Richard Hemming who won the September match with a whopping 98lb of silvers which is quite staggering and to back that up 2nd an 3rd both caught over 50lb! Chris Brown 88lb in August and Ian Hodgkinson 79lb in June also showed what massive fish stocks we have in Calf heath. Well done to all.

With the colder months now upon us a lot of people have dusted their Pike set up off. There has been some nice fish caught out of Leacroft with a couple just over the 20lb mark taken on dead baits, quality fish by any ones standards. Kingswood has been a little tougher with fluctuating water levels making fish location very difficult.

As normal I have to mention what fishing I have been up to, and whilst I have had very little time on the bank in recent months due to work commitments, I must mention the 20lb 6oz common I had out of Calf Heath. Not a huge fish I here you say but still a very significant one to me never the less. Why you ask? Well it has been over 10 years or more since I last caught a 20lber out of Calf Heath and I have caught a few in between! It was a wonderful surprise on what was a cold winter’s day. Just goes to show there are one or two surprises still to be had.

I mentioned earlier about the continued work being carried out around the lakes, Calf Heath now boasts some of the best pegs around and with work now being carried out by the sailing club, hopefully by the spring all pegs will be once again fishable.

New pegs have been built at Leacroft with our President Dennis Evens leading his band of merry men; their efforts have been gratefully appreciated by all who now need not get covered in mud while fishing.

There has been at recent meetings a growing list of work to be carried out at the Turf Pool. The first job will be the laying of hard core to sure up our rapidly disappearing car park which with all the rain has taken a real pounding. This has been scheduled for Jan/Feb and anyone wishing to help with the laying please just contact one of the bailiffs.

The work to the pathway around the pool was a great success this year but again with the heavy rain pegs and banks have been very boggy. Work is planned to the pegs and surrounding areas to eradicate this problem. It may take some time but hopefully by the start of the new season you will all see some improvement.

This year saw a large fish stocking to Kingswood Lake and whilst this has been reasonably successful pleasure anglers and match anglers alike are still finding the fishing difficult. Therefore a further stocking of bream and Tench has been planned for the coming year to bolster the existing stock. These fish should be with us around Feb time so watch this space.

Exciting news for the Carp fisherman is the stocking of some specimen mirror carp to the Turf Pool from VS Fisheries. These are fish from one of the premier fish producers in the country who have supplied fish to many of the biggest fisheries in the country. Take a look at the pictures. I think you will all agree, they are quite stunning. The fish range between 21lb and 23lb so should provide a great addition to what is a well stocked lake. It will give every one that wonderful feeling of anticipation and excitement when the alarms begin to sound! It goes without saying these fish have come at great expense and Blackfords have never stocked such fish before. PLEASE, LOOK AFTER THESE FISH!!!

There has also been an additional stock of 10 C4 mirror carp ranging between 8lb and 11lb to Leacroft Pool. These should again offer a great addition to the pool and will continue to safeguard the future stock within the pool. The same fish stocked to Horseshoe Lake in Gloucestershire have put on 10lb in 2 years so watch this space, who knows?

Well that just about covers it for another year. On behalf of all the management team at Blackfords, I would like to wish each and every one of you a very Happy Chrismas and a prosperous New Year. Be safe on the banks and TIGHT LINES!